My first meeting with Roy Harper
Back in 1967 I was feeling very isolated. I had lots of friends but I was changing fast. I was reading Beat poetry and Kerouac, listening to more serious music and thinking. Yes. I was thinking. I did not like the society I was living in. I did not trust our leaders. I did not like the way my parents lived.
Yes. You’ve guessed it. I was a teenager.
I’d sit in my room playing music. My life focused on a few friends, Rock Music, my motorbike and girls. The weekend was parties.
Then I discovered Roy Harper and it was like finding someone who was articulating the thoughts that were buzzing around in my head. I started going to a lot of Harper concerts. I bought Ghenghis Smith the day it came out and played it to death (I still managed to get a lot of the words wrong though).
It became clear to me that this was someone who thought along the same lines as me in a way that nobody else had done.
The one thing that was worrying me was how genuine he was. Was all this a stage act? Was he different in the flesh?
The thing I knew was that the only way to tell was to meet him, look into his eyes and talk to him. If I could talk to him then I would know.
That is easier said than done.
When someone is on stage they are in a different world. He was older than me and a performer. I was a young kid of eighteen. What did you say?
You couldn’t go up to someone you were in awe of and say something lame. It felt stupid.
Yet I had to.
I sorted out in my head some little speech and resolved to stay behind at a concert and collar him. At that time they weren’t huge events. They would usually be fifty to sixty people. Roy did not have a PA. He’s turn up with an acoustic and play. There wasn’t much for him to pack away.
With heart in mouth I approached the stage as Roy was putting his guitar away. He turned round and saw me.
‘Hi man,’ Roy said, ‘I’ve been meaning to come and say hello. I’ve seen you at a lot of gigs. Here.’ He scrawled a telephone number on a scrap of paper. ‘Give me a ring and come round. We’ll have a smoke.’ He turned away and rushed off.
I walked away clutching a piece of paper with Roy’s telephone number on.
I’d rehearsed a speech. I’m glad I didn’t have to use it. It would have sounded terrible. As it was, I hadn’t actually said anything.
I sure made up for that later!